Max Verstappen is back on pole position after a strong reaction from Red Bull, who managed to tame the initial instability of the RB21 and bring it back to competitiveness. The Dutch driver’s pole in the Austin Sprint once again proves, if proof were still needed, that Red Bull has made clear progress — both with the car’s performance and in terms of operations.
However, starting from pole is no guarantee of success for Verstappen, especially on a track like the Circuit of The Americas, where the McLaren duo can rely on their MCL39’s strong race pace. Still, Verstappen has shown encouraging long-run times, suggesting that Red Bull could finally be back in control. The outlook is far less positive for Ferrari, which continues to show worrying deficits across multiple sections of the circuit.
Red Bull’s reaction
The Sprint Qualifying in Austin represented another key test for Red Bull, a team that in recent races had often needed overnight simulator work to find the right balance and become competitive again. This time, however, the team led by Laurent Mekies was ready from Friday, reacting promptly to Verstappen’s complaints at the end of the only practice session. “I have to come back to the pits, the car is hitting the ground too harshly,” Verstappen radioed. In response, the engineers raised the ride height just enough to prevent the RB21 from bottoming out on Austin’s many bumps, without losing too much downforce in the first sector’s sweeping corners — where Verstappen, in fact, set a sector record.
Another merit of Red Bull’s setup work was improving mechanical grip in the third sector, initially an area dominated by McLaren. The final part of the track, filled with slow corners, is crucial for managing tyre degradation during the race. Verstappen thus found himself with a car that finally responded to his driving style — an opportunity the four-time world champion did not miss. His sensitivity behind the wheel made the difference during a session complicated by powerful gusts of wind that caught out many drivers. The 71-thousandths advantage over Norris also came thanks to his decision to leave the pits last, taking full advantage of the evolving track conditions, which continued to improve throughout the day.
McLaren stays in the fight
For the reigning double world champions, the Sprint grid is far from ideal in their bid to defend the Drivers’ Championship, with Verstappen ahead of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. Even the record track temperatures — with asphalt never dropping below 42°C — were not enough to propel McLaren to pole position. Still, in terms of outright performance, Norris was just a fraction away from Verstappen, showing impressive speed and control. The British driver, in fact, outqualified his teammate by three tenths of a second, leaving fans curious to see whether Piastri will show his usual weekend progression once again.
McLaren’s technical approach was the opposite of Red Bull’s. The team started with a more conservative ride height, planning to lower it later in the session. In the first two qualifying segments, Norris’s MCL39 seemed perfectly capable of staying ahead of Verstappen, but the situation changed dramatically in Q3. The switch to soft tyres and Verstappen’s raw talent played a decisive role, yet McLaren’s car remains not so much unpredictable as difficult to read when pushed to the absolute limit — an ongoing challenge for the engineers in Woking.
Mercedes on the third row, Ferrari stuck in place
At Mercedes, the team leadership had preached caution after the win in Singapore, expecting the W16 to be less competitive on a track with so many high-speed corners — a weakness that has persisted since the start of the year. So far, those predictions have proven accurate. George Russell will start fifth and may regret being the first to head out in Q3, missing out on the benefits of a more rubbered-in surface. Meanwhile, Nico Hülkenberg capitalized on the situation, securing an excellent fourth place on the grid with a Sauber that looks worlds apart from the struggling car of just twelve months ago.
It was another disappointing session for Ferrari. The Sprint format once again exposed the SF-25’s long-standing issues, with the team unable to find a setup direction that suits the car since late August. Now, the Scuderia must wait for parc fermé to reopen before applying the necessary adjustments. Another concern is the team’s declining competitiveness during qualifying, showing weaker performance progression compared to rivals. On the bright side, Lewis Hamilton continues to show improvement, finishing ahead of a struggling Charles Leclerc, who was further hindered by missing his qualifying simulation in practice due to a gearbox issue.
Verstappen strong on race pace too
Despite everything, the starting grid may be less decisive than in recent rounds. The Austin circuit offers multiple overtaking opportunities and is known for its high tyre degradation, which often reshuffles the order in the race. What remains to be seen is whether Pirelli’s decision to skip one compound between the hard and the medium tyres will encourage teams to use softer options and plan a two-stop race. No team has yet tested the degradation of the soft and medium compounds, focusing instead on the hard tyre to preserve the others for qualifying and both races.
Race pace simulations on hard tyres
| Driver | Lap times |
|---|---|
| Oscar Piastri | 1’37’’5 – 1’38’’2 – 1’37’’5 – 1’38’’3 |
| Lando Norris | 1’36’’8 – 1’36’’9 – 1’37’’0 – 1’37’’9 |
| Max Verstappen | 1’39’’8 – 1’40’’1 – 1’39’’7 – 1’39’’4 – 1’39’’2 – 1’38’’9 – 1’38’’7 |
| George Russell | 1’39’’8 – 1’38’’6 – 1’38’’3 – 1’37’’6 – 1’37’’5 – 1’37’’8 – 1’38’’0 |
| Charles Leclerc | 1’37’’4 – 1’37’’8 – 1’38’’2 – 1’37’’8 |
| Lewis Hamilton | 1’37’’6 – 1’37’’2 – 1’38’’0 – 1’37’’8 |
The dirty track surface and very conservative engine modes made the long-run data from practice less reliable than usual. This particularly applies to Verstappen, whose pace did not stand out on the stopwatch. What did stand out, however, was the Dutch driver’s consistent improvement lap after lap — a sign of excellent tyre management. That consistency could be the key to achieving at least a Sprint Race victory, keeping his title hopes alive as the season approaches its final stretch.
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